Broken Mirror
by TweetyHope
Summary: Twin BWL, Dark!Harry. Harry grew up with the Dursleys not knowing that he had a twin or a family.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and rarely update.

Chapter 1

Harry watched the platform as children said goodbye to their parents, but one group gained his attention the most. Most of the crowd were casting surreptitious looks to the group of five. Some of the smaller children were pointing.

A young looking woman with red heir and green eyes was holding a ten year old boy in her arms. Three men stood in the background. The one with long black hair was being held up by the other two as he let out a dramatic wail. The man to his left had brown hair and was using his free hand to smack the sobbing man over the head. The other man looked like an exact replica of the small boy, but had hazel eyes.

The small boy turned Harry's way and it was like looking into a distorted mirror. Harry was skeletally thin, had broken round glasses, and wore clothes that were eight sizes too big. The boy was slim, had expensive square glasses, and fashionable clothes that fit.

Harry was beyond confused. He had never seen any of those people in his life and yet the boy could be his twin. The one time Harry had asked his Aunt about his parents she had said that they had abandoned on there doorstep because they couldn't take care of him. Harry had assumed that it was because they didn't have money, but the family in front of him didn't seem to be lacking anything in the financial department.

It had to be a trick of the light that made the boy look like a mirror image.

----

Harry sat with a book in his hands, looking at the page, but not reading. The train had started moving hours ago, but Harry couldn't stop thinking about the boy. He had looked about the same age, if not a year older, so they would most likely get to know each other.

The compartment door slid open and a young girl entered with out asking permission. Her head looked like it was being eaten by a fuzzy brown monster, and it would be a shame to see such a cute face mauled by an angry beast.

"Have you seen a toad?" She asked as she looked around.

"No, why?"

"Neville," she gestured to just outside the compartment where a slightly chubby boy tried to make himself as small as possible, "seems to have misplaced his."

"Hello," Neville said as he shuffled his feet further inside the compartment.

"Hello, I'm Harry, and I haven't seen a toad and I doubt you'll find it in this crowd."

"Yes, it is rather crowded. All the other compartments seem to be full, or unwilling to share," said Hermione.

Harry smiled at the two. He knew what it was like to not be included due to his cousin Dudley's bullying. He also knew that company would help to break the spell his mirror image had on him.

"You're welcome to stay," Harry said "we can ask a teacher about your frog afterwards if nobody has seen it by the time the sorting feast is over."

"Toad," said Hermione as she sat down across from Harry and Neville to the seat next to him, "so what house do you think you'll be in?"

"Not sure," said Harry becoming uncomfortable with how little he knew about this knew world, "I don't think I know enough about them to say."

"Well, I think I would do well in Ravenclaw, but I am hopping to get into Gryffindor since I've heard it is the best."

"All of my family has been in Gryffindor," said Neville, "but I'm not much for bravery and heroics. Probably end up in Hufflepuff."

"You're parents were wizards?" asked Hermione "how interesting. I am a muggleborn so it was a surprise to get my letter."

"Me too," said Harry, "my aunt and uncle tried to hide my letters when I first started getting them, but finally had to give up when a teacher came to the house to help me get my school stuff."

"How awful," said Hermione, "a teacher came over to my house as well. Professor Sprout was her name. I believe that she teaches Herbology and is the Hufflepuff Head of House."

"You're lucky," said Harry, "I had a Professor Snape, that was about all I got out of the man that wasn't an order. I don't even know what he teaches."

The train began to slow down and it had gotten dark outside without Harry noticing. Hermione left the boys to get changed in their school robes and to see if anyone had found Trevor the Toad.

----

"First years! First years over here."

Stepping out of the train, Harry saw a man too large to be possible. He had a long black beard, almost as fuzzy as the animal attached to Hermione's head, but defiantly more tangled. The hair on his head was equally long and tangled and what little of his face that showed was lined with laugh lines and tanned by long hours in the sun.

Following the glowing lamp over the giants head, Harry was soon lead to a large lake were ten old wooden boats waited for them. Harry and his three new friends stepped into a boat and were soon joined by a very skinny black boy who seemed to have a stick shoved up his ass, he sat so straight.

"Blaize Zambini," the boy said without prompting. "I'm hopping for Ravenclaw or Slytherin, yourselves?"

"Hermione Granger, and I would like to be in Gryffindor, but Ravenclaw is a close second."

"Neville Longbottom, and I'm hoping for Gryffindor."

"I'm in a boat full of Gryffindors, just peachy." Blaize rolled his eyes, "I don't see why you would want to go into the house that consistently has the worse OWL's and NEWT's scores. Not to mention they haven't won the house or Quiddich cup in years."

"Truly?" Asked Hermione, "that hasn't been in any of the books I have read about Hogwarts."

"No? They just published an article about it in Sands of Time Monthly." Blaize gave the girl a skeptical look.

"Oh," Hermione looked surprised, " haven't heard of that magazine, is it popular?"

"Muggleborn?" Blaize asked. "And yes, it is the most popular magazine among adult's in the wizarding world."

Hermione looked to be taking a mental note to get a subscription, but all talk was ended at the first sight of Hogwarts. Harry had been too involved in the conversation to notice that the boats had started to move on their own.

The castle was beautiful. It reached up to the sky with it's four uneven towers. Lights could be seen in random windows. The full moon shown off of the lake, it's light only being broken by the movement of the boats and what Harry thought was a mermaid.

"I don't think I'll care what house I'm in, so long as get to stay in this castle." Harry said with a small smile on his lips.

----

"Potter, David" Professor McGonagall spoke said in a clear voice.

The whispers started before the boy could comprehend that his name had been called. Harry was in shock, beyond shock. His mirror image had the same last name as him. Harry had never considered the possibility of having a twin, but now it seemed to be the only explanation.

Then why was he, Harry, at the Dursley's if his twin was able to live with his parents. Their parents. Harry's parents were alive and well, very well from what little glimpse he got of them. Harry couldn't figure out, refused to comprehend, what was going on.

"Gryffindor," the hat shouted to the silent hall. A sudden burst of sound came from the table farthest from the wall. Another pair of twins were singing in triumph, and everyone at the table tried to shake David's hand as he sat next to Neville.

Hermione was talking excitedly to her fellow Ravenclaws as they all looked at the newest Gryffindor.

"Potter, Harry" and the hall went silent.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Harry didn't hear the students begin to whisper, or see his brother trying to get a look at him. He didn't even notice that his shoe had come untied. As Harry walked to the hat his mind was filled to the brim with contradicting thoughts.

Harry sat on the stool that was too tall for him, but it hadn't been for his brother. Professor McGonagall placed the old talking hat on his head, and the brim thankfully blocking the sight of four tables full of people staring at him.

"My, what an interesting child." A disembodied voice whispered.

"What's interesting?" Harry wasn't sure he liked being called interesting by a talking hat who must have seen it all.

"You Mr. Potter would do well in all of the houses. You show loyalty, courage, ambition, and you have a sharp mind. Now, where to put you? You like to act before you think, so I do believe Ravenclaw is a no. I fear you will scare all of this years Hufflepuffs away, so that is not an option if you wish to have friends, yes?

"Now here comes the big question. You will do well in both, but one will gain you a family and the other will make you great. I see, you're not sure you want a family that would abandon you to the Dursley's, I understand. So it had better be… Slytherin!"

Silence, the Great Hall had never been as silent.

Harry took the hat off his head and handed to Professor McGonagall when she made no move to take it back. Like most of the hall, she probably thought it was a joke and the hat would change it's mind any minute now.

Harry started to walk to the Slytherin table, attempting to ignore the looks he was receiving from everyone in the hall. The older Slytherins exchanges glances and looked to Professor Snape to gauge his reaction. He inclined his head slightly, thou it looked like it pained him greatly.

Harry had reached the edge of the table, looking for a place to sit. A sixth or seventh year boy with short black hair and a wide nose stood and offered his hand to Harry. "Daniel Parkinson, seventh year Prefect."

"Harry Potter," Harry took the boys hand. He noticed that his hand was not only half the size of Daniel's it was also clammy. "first year and overwhelmed."

The wishpers started and the sorting went on.

"I can understand that," Daniel offered him a small smirk, "go sit by Malfoy." Daniel pointed to a platinum blond with a sharp face. "Perhaps tonight, after the feast, we can make some sense of this." Daniel and Harry both glanced at his twin, who was watching the conversation along with everyone else in the hall.

"I think I would like that," Harry said. With that the noise in the hall grew again as people began to whisper. Harry walked over to the blond. Malfoy gestured to the empty seat next to him and Harry gratefully sat.

"Quite a stir you caused. My name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," Draco offered Harry his hand and Harry took it in his smaller one.

"Pleasure, my names Harry Potter, but I guess you knew that," Harry smiled shyly at the blond. Draco hid a small chuckle behind his hand as he glanced up at the rest of the hall.

"It seems you are a bit of a mystery."

"Tell me something I don't know," Harry said in exasperation, "they're not going to get many answers out of me. I probably know less than anyone in this room."

"That's not true," said Draco, "I'm sure some muggleborn children are just as confused as you are." Draco smiled and Harry returned it, though he wasn't exactly sure what the joke was or what a muggleborn was. "Now, lets introduce you to your new year mates."

He went on to introduce the boy he met in the boat, Blaize Zambini. A girl with a small flat nose, round face, and straight black hair, as Pansy Parkinson. Two large, ape looking boys as Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. A tall, thin, black haired boy, as Theodore Nott. A dirty blond, as Daphne Greengrass. Finally Harry was introduced to Millicent Bulstrode. She looked more like a boy than a girl, with a square jaw and boxy frame.

It was a small group of first years that sat at his table. In fact, Slytherin had the fewest kids out of any table. His table could all sit on one side and still have room for more, whereas the Hufflepuffs were crowded on both sides.

"Why are there so few us?" Harry asked.

"Well," Parkinson leaned over the table as if she had a tasty bit of gossip, "not every person capable of magic is invited to Hogwarts. There are three main schools of magic in Europe and many other smaller local ones, but Hogwarts is the most prestigious."

"And the most expensive," added Draco.

"Right," said Parkinson, "most people have to take out a loan to come or if they are powerful enough they get a scholarship."

"Really?" asked Harry, "because professor Snape never mentioned that I had to pay for this. Do you think I took out a loan without knowing?"

"Not possible," said Nott.

"You're from a old pure blood family. The Potter's have no need for loans," said Draco.

"Yeah," said Parkinson, "Your parents have most likely already paid."

"But that's not possible either," said Harry, "I've never met them."

Every person who had been listening to the conversation paused. Draco's mouth was inelegantly open with food in it, Parkinson held a glass that was now dangerously close to tipping over. Everyone stared at Harry.

"What?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Your last name is Potter right?" Draco asked.

"Yes."

"Is it possible he is from a different branch of the family?" Pansy asked the group. Crabbe and Goyle just continued eating, not understanding or caring what the fuss was about.

"No," said Draco, "the Potters have always had only one son each generation, until this generation. Plus everyone knows that James and Lily Potter had twins. And I believe the other ones name was Harry."

"Yes, but no one ever saw Harry ,did they?" Pansy asked.

"No, not after Halloween," Blaize said.

"Excuse me," Harry waved at the group, "still here."

"A bit rude, isn't he?" Daphne mentioned. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you had been raised by muggles." The group chuckled at this pronouncement.

"What's a muggle?" Harry asked. He sat slightly slumped in his seat. He wasn't sure about the kids in his house. Hermione and Neville had been nice, but they were both in different houses. He had expected it to be much different then the Dursley's. On the one hand it was; he had food, a bed, kids to talk to, and thus far no hitting. Then why did he still feel disappointed?

The first year Slytherins stared at the poor boy with the taped up glasses. Some in disgust, while Blaize and Daphne looked him up and down in a considering manner.

"Well, it's clear that he's a Mudblood," said Draco.

"No, it's not possible. Really look at him," said Daphne, "he's a bit smaller, but he looks exactly like David Potter. And there are too many coincidences to say that Harry here is not David's twin."

"But he doesn't know what a muggle is," said Pansy.

"Harry," said Blaize, "you said that you never met you parents. Who were you raised by?"

"My aunt and uncle," said Harry.

"But James didn't have any brothers or sisters," complained Pansy.

"Clearly you daft girl," said Daphne, "can anyone remember the who Lily's sister is?"

None of the first years made to say anything. They were all thinking, with the exception of Crabbe and Goyle of course.

"Petunia," said Theo. The group looked up in surprise at their most silent companion. It was well known that the Nott family rarely said anything that they were not completely sure about, a rare trait in a house filled with half truths.

"Yes," said Harry, "that's my aunts name, Petunia Dursley."

The first years were silent. When dinner was magically replaced by desert only Crabbe and Goyle moved to get some.

"Peculiar," said Draco, "that must mean that Harry here was raised by his aunt and uncle."

"Yes," said Harry, "that's what I said."

"But why?" asked Pansy. No one could come up with an answer to that question. The Potters were well known for being a very loving family. Even if Harry had been sickly, or worse a squib, the Potters would have still cared for their child.

"This just doesn't make any sense," Draco complained. Harry was slightly happier at that statement. Finally someone else was just as confused as he was.

"So that's my brother over there?" asked Harry. He nodded his head over his shoulder to the boy who was still looking over at the Slytherin table while talking to his year mates.

"It would seem so," said Blaize.

"Ok," Harry thought a moment. He picked at a chocolate cake in front of him as he considered his new place in the world. So it was true that his parents had given him up. At least the Dursley's hadn't lied about that. He had a twin brother that still lived with his apparently happy and wealthy parents. So why did they give Harry up?

"What was that you said about Halloween earlier?" asked Harry as it occurred to him. Something much better to think about then possible reasons for abandonment.

"You don't know about Halloween?" asked Pansy. Harry shook his head, slightly annoyed that he kept having to repeat himself.

"You-Know-Who?" asked Draco.

"No," said Harry, "I don't know who." The first years stared at him like he had a second head.

"You were really raised by muggles," said Pansy.

And so the Slytherins told him the story of Halloween. Of course they might have glossed over how horrible Voldemort had been in his time, but there is no getting around the fact that he tried to kill a baby and not his parents.

"Where were my parents during all of this?" asked Harry.

"Well," said Pansy, "they had gone to the Ministers Ball as a favor to their friend Sirius Black."

"How do you know this stuff?" asked Harry.

"Common knowledge," said Blaize, "James Potter was complaining very loudly around some very important people about having to attend such a boring party."

"Yes," said Pansy, "something about Potter losing a bet and Black donating some money after 'accidentally' walking in on Madam Bones in the Auror showers."

"She became head of the department that year, didn't she?" asked Daphne.

"Yes, she did," said Draco.

"Anyways," said Pansy. Dumbledore began giving his speech for the night and Pansy had to lower he voice to avoid detection, "they had left their friend at the time, Peter Pettigrew, at the house as a baby sitter. Turn out he was one of the Dark Lords supporters. After the Dark Lord was… killed by your brother Pettigrew disappeared and they still haven't found him."

"Geez," Harry would have a lot to think about that night and most of it wasn't good. His Brother was the Boy-Who-Lived and his parents had given him up to the Dursleys. They didn't have to give him up, but they did and it had to do with that Halloween night.

If Harry knew anything about people being horrible to each other, he would guess that they did it so they could spend more time with his more powerful and famous brother. Harry had never wanted to be famous, but he had always wanted a family that loved him. And hearing that his biological family decided that he wasn't worth the time was a bit rough to hear.

The students all stood up ready to make the journey to their common rooms.

"First Years follow me," called out a Slytherin girl who looked to be in her fifth or sixth year.

"Harry, Harry!" Harry turned to look at who was calling him and saw his twin trying to make his way through the crowd. David finally caught up to him, but his Gryffindor followers weren't far away and they didn't look pleased to see their hero trying to talk to the enemy house.

"It's great to meet you," said David.

"Umm," Harry shuffled, "yeah. Nice to meet you too."

"I have so much stuff to tell you!" exclaimed David. "I can't wait to do all the pranks that I thought up and when Amy gets here next year she'll double the pranks that she usually gets at home!"

"That's nice," said Harry, "whose Amy?"

"What do you mean whose Amy?" asked David.

"I'm sorry," said Harry though you could tell he didn't mean it, "I just found out I was a Wizard a month ago and that I have a twin brother today. Forgive me if I don't know who Amy is."

"Amy's our sister mate," said David, much more subdued then he had been before.

Harry stared at his brother. In his mind a gentle buzzing was growing. Like the buzzing of one bee, becoming twenty, becoming 100, becoming a million bees. Harry stared at his brother and he walked away.

"Harry, Harry!"


	4. Chapter 4

The light was coming in the windows and was falling exactly between the beds so it wouldn't disturb the sleeping boys. In thirty minutes the light would start to move over the curtains that hung over the beds and the rest of the boys would start to wiggle and groan awake. Harry had observed this light for the past three years doing this unnatural movement. It had shocked him the first morning he saw it. A week after watching this every morning he became suspicious and wandered outside the castle to see the sun in action. Then he realized that the windows are magic, there were no real windows into the dungeon. It was one of those moments of insight that made him wonder if he was an idiot. Now, at 13 going on 14 Harry forgives himself for that stupidity, he was knew to magic at the time and a lot of crazy things were going on.

Harry walks down to the common room and waits for the others to dress. It makes him uncomfortable to be in the room with half naked boys. The others made fun of him the one time he tried to stay up in the dorms while they were changing. He'd been talking to Blaize the moment Blaize woke up. It was their second year at Hogwarts, the morning before the first game of the season Gryffindor v. Slytherin and Harry had made the Slytherin team as a seeker. Malfoy had been giving Harry the silent treatment for since tryouts for beating him to the snitch, and on a school broom of all things! Malfoy had been on a Nimbus 2000 at the time, but Malfoy made chaser so Harry didn't understand the issue. Unfortunately most of Slytherin was on Malfoy's side.

It was the morning before the first game. Harry hadn't slept at all that night. David was the new seeker for Gryffindor that year. Again the school made a big deal about their twin connection no matter how much Harry tried to ignore it.

Harry was pulling the threads out of the stitches of his pajamas, watching the cloth fall apart on his body. The Dursleys hadn't given him any of Duddlys cast offs that year, or any other year since he'd gone to Hogwarts. It was the night before the game and Harry was considering running away from Hogwarts. Maybe he could go to any of the other schools that his classmates talked about; even though it wouldn't be as prestigious it had to be better than living under the shadow of a brother you didn't want to have especially when that shadow kept popping up around every corner and after every class trying to talk to Harry about the life he had with his parents.

Just that morning David had pounced on Harry after his Transfiguration class. McGonagall had told Harry off for not studying his incantation enough in front of the entire class and because he was a Slytherin none of his classmates came to his defense. Harry didn't blame them, the one time he had tried to tell Flickwit that Malfoy had completed the levitating charm before Granger he had received detention. No one trusted a Slytherin, not even Snape.

"Hey Harry!" David said "Want to know what mom sent us? Guess."

Harry tried to push past David without making eye contact. David grabbed him by the arm and because Malfoy was giving him the silent treatment that week, he didn't step in to help Harry.

"She got us a Nimbus, Harry!" Already Harry could see the flaw. It had happened before with other toys and trinkets. "She only sent us one, but we can share Harry. Want to go for a ride after classes today?"

Harry's eyes worked their way up from David's hand on his arm up to David's eyes. They stared into each other and the hall around them was unusually still. David tried to smile again, but it got caught in his left cheek.

"Come on mate," Ron was saying behind David, "your brother's bonkers."

David let go and Harry walked away. That night Harry had watched David and Ron take turns on the new broom from the library window. None of it made sense to Harry and there was a place in him that hurt every time that hopeful look got on David's face. That place in him hurt all that night and so he stayed up pulling the string from his PJs.

Until the sun started to move over to the bed curtains a knock came at the window. It was a big brown owl carrying a huge package, at least three times the size of the bird. Harry unlatched the window and the owl flew over to his bed, dropped the package, and flew out again without even a hoot. Harry stared at the package. There was a groan behind him, Theo most likely from how phlegmy it sounded. Harry turned the package over and over looking for a note, but there wasn't any. This was the first piece of mail he ever got and it didn't have a note attached. He tore back the first fold, untied the string, and a broom, a Nimbus, fell out. Harry was panting at this point and he couldn't tell if it was from excitement, because it felt more like fear.

The first curtain got drawn back, it was Malfoy. Malfoy saw Harry up in the dorms, and he was clearly confused, Harry was never in the dorm for the morning. The boys had joked that Harry must have a secret girlfriend, because in the Slytherin house that was the most innocuous secret one could have. Blaize pulled back his curtain and Harry tried, he really did, to tell Blaize what had happened.

"Blaize! The most incredible thing. I can't. You have to see this." Harry was trying to whisper through his excitement, but Malfoy was curious so he stayed in the dorm to take his shirt off. Harry stopped talking and stared at Malfoy half naked for a second. Blaize was rubbing sleep out of his eyes. Harry turned around and scooped up his broom, with wrapping and string, and ran down the stairs two at a time.

That morning at breakfast none of the boys would shut up about Harry's embarrassment. And after the game, after Harry won the game for Slytherin, Blaize ran up to Harry and slapped him on the back.

"Why didn't you tell me you got a new broom?"

Harry would have rolled his eyes, but the slaps on the back and his house crowding around him had him on edge. Harry mounted his broom and rode to the front door. His house clapped and shouted for him while Gryffindors called him a show off, the Weasley's were particularly loud about it. Hid brother David was at the door to the school watching Harry fly towards him. He held the broom that their mother had sent him over his shoulder.

"Looks like mom got you a broom too." David didn't seem too pleased with the idea.

"No," Harry said, "this isn't from them. Lily is not my mom."

This was the first time Harry had said anything like this to David. David's mouth dropped open and the broom almost fell off his shoulder.

"Why would you say that?"

Harry didn't answer; he just pushed past David and walked down into the dungeons. After that day David never tried to engage Harry as if he was family again. Now, if David sees Harry in the halls it's as if Harry has a notice me not charm all over him. The two haven't spoken since that day. A new piece of Harry started to hurt when he saw David, deep in his belly, it feels fiery and grows every time he sees David especially when David is with a group of his friends.

Today Harry is leaving the castle for the third time since he arrived, it will be his third summer with the Dursleys and next year will be the start of his fourth year, if he decides to come back. Again Harry is wondering if he might be better off at another school, away from David, and now Amy. Harry stops himself from thinking too deeply about the girl who should be his sister.

Harry closes up his trunk, stuffs his want in his pocket, and slides downstairs past the common room and up through the dungeon halls. Harry has spent a lot of time wandering these halls at night and he has found many secrets in the cracks. Harry wonders if the magic used in hiding a space actually calls out to magical people sometimes, that is the only explanation Harry has for finding many of the passageways he has, magic. That is some sort of magical theory a seventh year or apprentice would be studying, much too complicated for a third year. Harry wonders if he would have been so thoughtful if he had had more friends.

In the dining hall he is the only student. At the head table there is only Snape. He and the man have seem to come to a vague understanding over the years. Snape catches him walking through the halls and tells him to go to bed. Harry says 'yes sir' and continues wandering. If Snape catches him a second time the man will raise one of those eyebrows, Snape will look into his eyes for a second, and then he will lead Harry back to the common room and all the way up to his dorm sometimes.

Harry sits and nods to Snape. Snape returns the nod and goes back to his morning paper and coffee. Harry pulls out his third year Arithmancy school book and starts to read over all the notes he has taken in the margins. It was something that Snape started. One of the first potions classes Harry ever had, Harry had been having a hard time reading the board. Harry had pulled out his school book to try and do the potion from the instructions, but the potion wasn't coming out right at all, Harry's was purple while everyone else's was green. Snape came up beside him and took Harrys chin in his hands. He made Harry stare into his eyes for a second. That eyebrow raised again and without saying a word Snape leaded over Harry's book and scribbled in changes to the potion written in Harry's book.

"That is the proper method Potter," Snape said, "see to it you use the same set of instructions as the rest of the class next time."

The changes were small, just one extra toad eye and a counter clockwise stir added to the end, but it made the difference. In that one lesson Harry learned that you can write in book and more importantly that the books didn't always have the best solution. That, more than anything, probably changed Harry's attitude towards school. Now it was no longer a chore one had to do, magic was a game, a problem that you could solve. So Harry opened his Arithmancy book, this time with the goal of solving Ludwig Von Hartwig's logic problem by using his one year of Arithmancy. Many others have done it before him, but a seventh year Ravenclaw gave Harry the problem one night in the library when they were the last out the door. It was something pleasant to focus on, anything other than the coming summer at his Aunt and Uncles.

Malfoy sat down beside Harry. It was early for a Malfoy.

"You'll be staying with my family this summer Potter."

"Oh?"

Malfoy made himself a slice of toast with way too much jam. He munched on half of it, making Harry wait, attempting to make him uncomfortable. But Harry had seen that trick pulled before, successfully, of Pansy and didn't want to play with Malfoy today.

"Ok," Harry said and went back to his Arithmancy textbook. Malfoy ate the rest of his toast, crunching a little louder than before.

"You'll also be coming with us to the Quiddich World Cup."

"Oh," Harry said. That was a surprise. All of this was a surprise, not unpleasant, but unnerving. What were the Malfoys playing at? Draco and he were pleasant to each other as housemates are, but that was all. But anything was better than the Dursleys. This would be a much more interesting summer.


	5. Chapter 5

**David walked into the Great Hall and the twittering in the room escalated. At every other table groups of students were clumped together talking about the latest adventure David had. According to rumor, which meant it was assuredly entirely true, David had lead himself, Ron, Dean, and Seamus on a wild chase through the forest after a rat late last night. The chase ended with Peter Pettigrew in auror custody. Beyond that the stories split and become crazier and crazier. Thankfully his own housemates were above talking about David, at least in public. **

Malfoy was munching on another piece of toast while Pansy played with his hair. It was happening right next to Harry. He couldn't avoid seeing it out of his peripheral vision without being rude to Theo and Blaize sitting across from him. By the smile on Blaize's face, Harry could never tell anything from the blank looks Theo gave, it was obvious how uncomfortable the public display of affection was making him. Harry blushed when he realized he was being obvious and a fire in his throat made him want to lash out at Blaize, remind Blaize of how he used to sleep with a stuffed monkey named Baba until just a month ago. But Harry stopped himself, he shoved a spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth instead.

"Hey Harry," David said. Behind him was his gang of friends. The smile was back on David's face and Harry wanted to smack it off. Life was so much better when David wasn't smiling all the damn time. Standing over him, the group was intimidating and Harry wasn't allowed to be intimidated, he was a Slytherin now. Harry stood and tool the spoon out of his mouth. Malfoy batted away Pansy's hand and stood as well, then Blaize, then Theo. The two goons, Crabb and Goyle were too busy eating to bother with power dynamics.

"What do you want Potter?" Malfoy said when David wouldn't speak. Harry almost felt bad for him, it was clear he wasn't expecting to deal with a wall of defensive Slytherins. But then Ron bit out a 'shut up Malfoy' and Harry lost his sympathy. It was David that chose to come over here with a group.

"Stop it Ron," David said, "Our parents were wondering."

"They aren't my parents."

"Well, our mom wrote and asked."

"Didn't you hear Potter," Malfoy said, "Harry doesn't want to be a Potter anymore. In fact, my father was going to help find him a proper family this summer while Harry stays with us. In fact, father said we might even adopt Harry ourselves if we can't find him a home fitting of his status."

Harry was staring at Malfoy. Everyone who could hear was staring at Malfoy. Malfoy was smirking at the look of horror on David's face, but Malfoy was also watching Harry out of the corner of his eye, Harry could tell. Harry had two options at that moment and neither was good. He could call Malfoy out, say that nobody discussed this with him, go back to the Dursley's for the summer, and possible lose the Malfoy's as an ally forever. Or, he could stay silent. So Harry just shot Malfoy a look, the side of Malfoy's face twitched, and Harry look straight at David. Those same emerald eyes, behind different glasses and almost a head taller, they were hurt. Harry didn't say a word.

"But then why won't you visit us?" David asked.

"Hey, mate," Rom started saying, "me and my brothers will visit you. You won't be cooped up with Amy all summer."

"That's not the point Ron," David said. The older Slytherins watching the show got little smiles on their faces, they enjoyed seeing the friction between the Boy-Who-Lived and his friends.

"All these years. All this time. I've asked you to come over so many times and you say you don't. That Aunt Petunia needs you. You'll be home sit. Lame excuses. Then we get to school and you pretend like you don't even know me, and then this! You're going to spend the entire summer with Malfoy! How can you not want to be a part of our family when you never even tried?"

David's four buddies were nodding their heads in agreement, but most of the Slytherins, at least the older ones who remember Harry's first year, we're confused. A couple that ha figures it out were laughing at David's stupidity, innocence really, he was a sheltered 13 year old boy, you couldn't blame him for his ignorance, but Harry did. Harry understood enough to know that someone had been lying to David and Amy. Harry didn't care who, someone lied and they believed it, that was enough for the pounding in Harry's head, the heat on his tongue, to erupt.

"Never speak to me again. Never write to me again. I will not answer. I am not your family, I never was."

Harry stormed out of the hall. Behind him he could hear Malfoy saying "Rest assure that my father will get the entirety to Harry's trust fund back for him. We'll see you in court Potter."

Harry walked down the path towards the train platform. A buzzing forms by his left ear. He runs his ear, but the buzzing is still there. He looks behind him and sees a dragon-fly, a serpentine like dragon only slightly bigger than a muggle dragonfly. The dragon fly buzzes around Harry's head as he walks, there must be some food stuck to his cloak or something. Harry walks a little farther, the buzzing follows him. He swats at the pest, once, twice, and a third time. The thing won't go away, it sticks it's long thin red tongue out and dives in to Harry's neck trying to lick a stray bit of oatmeal left from breakfast.

Harry growls and tears his cloak off. The dragon-fly buzzes a bit away from him, but starts to come towards Harry again. Harry pulls his wand out of his pocket.

"Stupify!"

The Dragon-fly explodes in a shower of purple goo. A small bit of its tail falls in front of Harry's path. Harry watches the tail twitch a couple times and grow still. Harry uses the toe of his shoe to cover the tail in dust and continues walking to the platform.


	6. Chapter 6

**Harry stared out the compartment window at the waves of black cloaks coming onto the train. They were loud and excited the high pitch laugh of young girls, the grunts of boys pushing each other, and the flash and breaking glass of Colin Creevey's camera going off. Harry shut the window and the curtains. **

"Creevey, not today!" Harry can hear Ron shouting even through the window and the low mumble noise o the crowd. Ron is a loyal one, Harry will give him that much, he should have been a Hufflepuff. Usually David is so good with little Colin. David will give Colin a pose whenever the boy finds David, it's almost like its a game between them. Harry doesn't think he'd be so generous if he had to be the Boy-Who-Lived.

The compartment door slides open and Luna walks in and sits across from Harry without acknowledging his existence, but who knows, at this moment Harry might not exist on whatever plane Luna is living on. Harry watches her intently as she pulls out a piece of her hair from her scalp, she plays with the hair, bouncing it, straightening it, licking it.

"So delicate," she says, "just like so many powerful things."

She pulls a pouch out of her cloak and from that pouch pulls out a handful of bottle caps with holes punched in the middle. She slides the caps onto her hair.

"But delicate things are hardly ever defenseless. It's an obvious riddle, but I hope you'll figure it out before the hair breaks."

She puts her hand behind her ear and pulls out a muggle paper clip. She ties the paper clip to one end of the hair and at the other she ties a loop.

"And if you don't at least you have a pretty necklace."

Luna hands the finished bottle cap necklace to Harry. Harry holds it in his hand; it is covered in spit and just hangs there looking like a little kids craft project.

"Thank you Luna." Harry puts the necklace on. A little bit of spit dribbles onto his cloak. This is the first time she has talked to him directly, not through Nargles or whatever. Luna inspects the necklace and nods in approval.

The door opens again Hermione Granger pokes her head in.

"Ah," she says "there you are Harry. Neville and I were looking for you."

Harry rolls his eyes to the roof of the compartment. Every train ride these two find him and sit with him. He knows they are all, him included, the outcasts of their houses, but that doesn't mean they can be friends. Harry tried, in first year, he really tried to be friendly to the two, but it made life in Slytherin hell. Harry remembers in first year when Ron Weasley bumped into Granger in the hall making her drop all her books. The boy had said sorry, but had continued running on to the next class. Harry had stopped and bent over to pick up one of Hermione's books.

"You don't have to do that," she had said, "feel sorry for me."

Harry handed her the History of Magic book. He bent over again and picked up her Defense Against the Dark Arts books and handed it to her with a smile. Hermione smiled back. "See you in the library?" Harry nodes and Hermione went on her way. Harry rounded the corner towards his next class. The hall was empty and he was surely late by now. A hand took him by the collar and pressed him up against the wall. Harry looked up. It was Daniel Parkinson the seventh year who had helped him the first night.

"Never talk to that girl again Potter. She is not our kind."

"Slytherin?"

"I'll forgive you because your new. She is what is wrong with the wizarding world. Never talk to her kind again."

Daniel let Harry go and disappeared down another hall. That day Harry wandered around the castle, going to his classes in a haze, until he sat at dinner. Daphne started filling his plate with veggies before he got a chance to fill it with "that other garbage" as she called it. Daphne did the same to all Slytherins in Harry's year, even Crabb and Goyle although those two just piled on the other garbage on top of the veggies, but it was the thought that counted.

Daphne noticed Harry wasn't eating. And Blaize asked the question, the question that would separate Harry from most of his housemates.

"What happened?"

"Blaize, what's wrong with Hermione Granger? I mean, why shouldn't I talk to her?"

"Are you daft Potter?" Malfoy chimed in from around Daphne "Everyone knows Granger is a Mudblood."

There were nods from Crabb, Goyle, Nott, and Parkinson. And there was silence from Daphne, Millicent, and Blaize.

"What's a Mudblood?"

"Filthy blood Potter," Malfoy said "any wizard who mates with a muggle is polluting our gene pool. And magical children are freaks of nature."

And then the split.

"That doesn't make any sense."

For the rest of the year Slytherins were only cooly polite to him in public and berated Harry for every little offense against "the noble name of Slytherin" that they caught.

Later that night in the library Harry sat alone. Before, at least Blaize or Daphne would come by and study near him, but that night, that year, they sat three aisle away. Harry was looking at notes from potions when Hermione came and sat across from him. They didn't talk or ask each other for help, but they sat close to one another. That was enough for the other Slytherins to keep away from Harry, but Harry never got up from the table when Hermione came over or even Neville, though he was a Gryffindor as Malfoy said "at least Longbottom is a pureblood."

So now, Hermione sits down next to Harry and pulls out her test scores. Harry smiles past the memory of that horrible first year, past the feeling of David sitting in his gut, and Malfoy's questionable motives, and pulls out his own test score. This is the one safe place to talk. Two times a year, Harry, Neville, and Hermione sit like they did on that first train ride to Hogwarts.

"What is it this year?" Neville asks Hermione. Hermione was frowning down at her score card. Neville took the card from Hermione and Harry pretended to ignore how close the two were, what and easy friendship they had. Luna caught his eyes. She lifted her bottle cap necklace and she put it in her mouth, she smiled again showing a row of bottle cap teeth. Harry gave Luna a very Snape eyebrow raise, but the smile on his lips told Luna he appreciated the gesture.

"I don't get it," Neville said, "what's wrong with this? You got perfect scores."

"I'm not ranked first in our class anymore."

Neville looked at the sheet again an his lips formed an 'oh'.

"Ah," Neville said "I'm sorry Hermione."

"I'm ranked first this year." Harry said.

Hermione snatched the score card from Harry's hand and seemed to read over it twenty times at lightning speed.

"So you did," she said.

"Congratz Harry," Neville said, "Right Hermione?"

"Everything was fair, yes, congratulations Harry."

She was still pouting in her corner and the air in the compartment gained a heaviness. The train whistle blew and the train rolled out of the station.

The compartment door opened again and Malfoy stood with Crabb and Goyle at either side of him.

"Ah," he said "there you are Harry." A piece of Harry's spine seized at hearing his first name from Malfoy's lips, he had to fight to keep his face from frowning. Slytherins never show house distinction, ever. Malfoy looked around the compartment and gave Harry a look to say 'really Potter? This is who you choose to assassinate yourself with?'.

"I thought you might like to discuss our summer plans before we arrive. Father wont want to be bothered with too many questions when we arrive."

It was an offer Harry couldn't refuse if he wanted to survive the summer and they both knew it. It would also mean offending the few people that didn't distrust or dislike him. Harry nodded his head, stood, and walked to the compartment door. Harry held out his hand to Neville. It took a moment for Neville to realize what Harry was after, but he handed back the test scores with forced cheer.

"Thank you," Harry said to the entire compartment. The compartment door shut, Harry turned down the hall to follow behind Malfoy.


End file.
